The Arizona Diamondbacks will add an important safety feature at their home stadium in time for next season.
The D-backs announced Wednesday that they will follow the lead of other ballparks by expanding the netting at Chase Field all the way to the far end of each dugout in time for the 2018 regular season.
“We have long prided ourselves on providing the most fan-friendly environment in all of sports and at the top of those priorities is safety,” D-backs president and CEO Derrick Hall said in a statement. “Thousands of the best seats in the ballpark behind home plate have always been behind a protective net with no impact to the fan experience and we expect that those who will now have a similar view will find that the same holds true for them.”
The D-backs say the net expansion will have a limited impact on the game experience for fans sitting in affected seats, as new technology will allow for the net to be knotless and more transparent, while still ensuring the safety of fans sitting behind the net. The team will also do its best to distribute foul balls to fans sitting in those seats.
The D-backs will open the 2018 regular season March 29 vs. the Colorado Rockies in Phoenix. Tickets can be purchased here.
